Latest club news

Macquarie University's Dance team dominate first competition of 2014

The Macquarie University Cheerleading Club was formed in 2004 and comprises of a specialised Dance team and a traditional 'Cheer' team.

The Dance team recently competed in their first competition of the year, the AASCF Winterfest at Sydney Olympic Park on the 14 and 15 June. Competing in three sections the club have started the season strongly securing 1st place in the University Contemporary, 1st place in University doubles for Louise
Douglas and Yolanda Fitzhenry and 2nd place in University Pom.

The team is now training intensively on Thursday nights at the Macquarie University Sport and Aquatic Centre to add another three routines to their repertoire for the State Championships held in September.

Squash club celebrate spring time success

Following up from a highly successful autumn season, The Macquarie University Squash Club had a record nine teams qualify for grand finals in the Sydney North Spring Pennant competition. This was an outstanding result for the Club with three teams being crowned premiers and six runners-up.Congratulations are extended to the three premiership winning teams:

Team 5 - Winners of Div-6 over Lane Cove (19-9)

Team 9 - Winners over Team 8 in a very close all-Macquarie University Div-12 Final (18-8)

Team 13 - Winners over MAASH (19-9)

And also well done to the six teams who finished runners up:

Team 1 (Div-2) - Runners up to Lane Cove (1-27)

Team 4 (Div-4) - Runners up to Lane Cove (3-19)

Team 6 (Div-9) - Runners up to Norths (6-22)

Team 8 (Div-12) - Runners up to Macquarie University (8-18)

Team 10 (Div-13) - Runners up to Killara (9-19)

Team 12 (Div-15) - Runners up to Next Gen (1-27)

Many of the runners up teams were underdogs and missing key players but still put up some great fights. Often the overall scores did not reflect the closeness of the individual games.

For more information about all of the Macquarie University Sport Clubs and how to join a club, please contact Bill McMahon, Sport Club and Alumni Coordinator on (02) 9580 4198 or bill.mcmahon@mq.edu.au.

The Macquarie University Hockey Club has capped off their most successful season in history, winning three of four grand finals contested over a memorable weekend. The first title was won by the men's 1st grade side, who claimed the Club's first 1st grade title in 19 years. In an exciting encounter
played before a large and noisy crowd, Macquarie took an early lead thanks to a goal by Robbie Muir. Glebe hit back early in the second half to level the scores at 1-1. In a tense second half and with extra time looming, Macquarie were awarded a penalty with less than two minutes on the clock remaining.
Robbie Muir calmly slotted his second goal sending the MacWarrior supporters into raptures. The team held on grimly and celebrated a memorable 2-1 victory.

Men's 4th grade were looking to add to their minor premiership with the premiership title and looked in trouble early trailing 2-0 against Wests (Ashfield). The team came out firing in the second half however and raced to a 3-2 lead. Wests hit back and for a large part of the second half the scores
were locked at 3-3. Macquarie hit the front late in the second half to claim victory 4-3 in an amazing day for the Club. The scorers for 4th grade were spread around, with Hemadri Bargoti, Luke Strudwick, Ian Jessup, Lenny Furtado all scoring a goal each.

On Sunday, it was time for the women's 1st and 2nd grade to step up and take their shot at premiership glory. In a tight tussle in 2nd grade, Macquarie unfortunately went down to the strong Strikers team 2-1 to finish the season as runners up. Minna Boyle scored the sole goal for the MacWarriors.

The women's 1st grade team after claiming the minor premiership and promotion to 2nd division next season wanted to finish the year on a high with the title and came out firing against arch rivals UNSW. The match was hardly fought throughout with the MacWarriors coming out on top 2-1 to claim the premiership
double for men's and women's 1st grade in 2013 for the first time for the Club. Sarah Miller, Claire Winnick were the goal scorers for the team.

All in all, the three premierships capped off what has been a fantastic year for the Hockey Club which is going from strength to strength!

Congratulations to Macquarie University women's AFL team on completing a perfect season by going through undefeated and capturing the Army AFL Sydney women's division two premiership over the weekend, defeating Southern Power by 28 points!

The Macquarie University Squash Club had a record eight teams qualify for grand finals in the Sydney North Autumn Pennant competition. This was an outstanding result for the club with two teams being crowned premiers and two runners-up.

The Division 17 team came from third spot to record a comprehensive grand final win. Congratulations to Nishen and the rest of the team, many of whom were playing in their first season.

Team 9 in Division 15 were minor premiers and were taken to the wire by Team 10 in a local derby grand final. Team 9 won two tight five setters by a whisker to record a tight victory. Congratulations to Wayne Dungey's Team 9.

Macquarie University Sport is proud to introduce its newest member to the Sport Club Community - the Quidditch Club!

Sport Club Coordinator, Nigel Price recently met with Club President Maria Wizbicki and got a closer insight into the sport of Quidditch and the Mac Marauders.

1. Can you give those who aren't familiar with Quidditch a bit of an insight into what the sport is about?Quidditch is a co-ed sport, based on the sport of the same name featured in J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter series, adapted to be playable without magic by an American, Alex Benepe
in 2005. It is a semi-contact sport and now played in several countries around the world.

2. Can you tell us a little about the Quidditch Club?The Macquarie University Quidditch Club is a proud member of the Australian Quidditch
Association, a subset of the International Quidditch Association. The Mac Marauders are currently ranked 3rd in Australia, and is leading the Sydney Quidditch League leader board.

We welcome players of all fitness levels, and all sporting backgrounds. With a range of competitive tournaments, social games, and events there's a place for everyone to be a Mac Marauder.

3. Is Quidditch played in a particular season or all year round?Quidditch is played all year round. Only in cases of extreme weather will play be stopped!

4. What Competitions or tournaments will the Club be competing in this year?The Club competes in several one off tournaments, in addition to a weekly league. These include:

Sydney Quidditch League: A weekly Australian Quidditch Association ranked match between four local University teams; Macquarie University, University of New South Wales, University of Western Sydney and the University of Technology.

Triwizard Tournament: A one day tournament between NSW and ACT teams run in: March, April, May, August, September, October

Midwinter Tournament: 13th-14th July. A two day ranked tournament held at the University of Newcastle during winter break. Open to teams across Australia.

The Melbourne Mudbash: 10th August. A one day tournament hosted by the Melbourne Manticores Quidditch Team. Open to teams across Australia.

Cairns Classic: 5th-6th October. A two day ranked tournament held at the James Cook University in Cairns. Open to teams across Australia.

QUAFL: The national Quidditch tournament, which is run over two days and is open to teams across Australia. The winning team secures a spot in the Oceania region slot for the Quidditch World Cup. Dates and hosts for QUAFL 2013 to be announced.

Quidditch World Cup: An international week long tournament (historically run in the USA), which pits the best teams from each region against each other. Dates and hosts to be announced.

5. When does the club train and does it cost much to join?Training is run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30pm and we are a very affordable Club to join. Non-Competitive membership is as low as $20 and Competitive membership is $40.

6. How would someone wanting to join the Quidditch Club get involved?If you would like to get involved please contact us via the above
email addresses or for more information check out our Facebook pages or on Twitter:

The Macquarie University Rugby Club is one of the inception clubs on Campus, celebrating its 45th Year in 2012.

Sport Club Coordinator, Nigel Price recently met with Sport Administrator of the Year and Rugby Club President, Adam Joyce and got a closer insight into this proud club steeped in tradition at the University.

1. What Competitions does the Rugby Club participate in and does the club cater for all standards?The Club currently plays in Division 3 of the NSW Suburban Rugby Competition. The great thing about the Suburban Rugby Competition is that there is a chance for everyone to play Rugby,
no matter their experience or ability. So yes we do have people in our club who are in their first year of playing Rugby, through to the 20-year veterans.

2. What makes Rugby a great sport to play?The team environment is a great motivator for playing Rugby. I'm personally still close mates with people I played Rugby with 15 years ago. The fitness aspect to playing Rugby is also important and will keep you in top physical condition.

3. When and where will the club commence training in 2013?Official pre-season training for the club will start on Tuesday 5th of February at 7pm, on Gwilliam Field at the Macquarie University Sports Fields. Our first trial game leading into the season proper will be participating
in the annual Universities Laffan Cup at UWS Hawkesbury on the 2nd of March.

4. What social activities and other special club days does the club have planned for 2013?The two biggest days of our season calendar are Old Boys Day and Ladies Day. Both of these days last year were a big success with a large turnout for Old Boys Day, and for Ladies Day all
four teams wore Pink Socks to support the McGrath Foundation, and managed to raise over $800 for the charity. We hope to build on both of these events in 2013.

5. What are some of the future goals for the club?The future goals of the club are to be a consistent contender for premierships in all grades, and to be a sport club of which the University can be proud. We are also attempting to get a Women's team incorporated to the club, and
we are hoping to have an exhibition game at a home game this year. This year we will also be unveiling our new club website which will be far more interactive site where club members and the public can watch the progress of the Rugby club.

6. How would someone wanting to join the Rugby Club get involved?The easiest way to join the club is to come down to training on a Tuesday of Thursday night and introduce yourself, otherwise you can send an email to macquarierugby@gmail.com for more information.

The Macquarie University Hockey Club is one of the largest on campus with over 100 members. The Club caters for both male and female players of all skill levels, and with a pro-active Committee and a thriving social calendar, this is certainly a club that is great to get involved
in!

Sport Club Coordinator, Nigel Price recently met with the new President of the Hockey Club, Tom Pacey and got an insight into this thriving club as it looks forward to another successful season in 2013.

1. What Competitions does the Hockey Club participate in and does the club cater for all standards? Macquarie University Hockey is a social yet competitive club in the Sydney region and we have both men's and women's teams catering to all skill levels.

Our main season is through winter, which runs from March through to September, but if you love hockey we have a number of social competitions that we take part from October to February. These competitions look to encourage skill development and keeping in contact with friends during the summer months.
The club also has two indoor hockey teams that play in the Northern Sydney region throughout the year. These are played on weeknights. In all, we are incredibly busy all year round!

2. How many teams will the club be entering in competitions 2013? We are looking at having two women's teams in the Premier Sydney competition. These games are played mainly at Homebush but there are times when they need to travel to other parts of Sydney. There will also be another
three women's teams playing in the North Shore Women's Association, which is played at Ryde and Pennant Hills.

For the Men there will be three teams playing in the Premier Sydney competition. Games are played all over Sydney but most of the games are at Pennant Hills, Ryde and Homebush.

3. When and where will the club commence training in 2013? The club commences training in mid- January at our training base at Pennant Hills. In 2013 we will be starting the season with inter-club games before selecting teams for the season after O-week.

4. What social activities does the club have planned for 2013?The traditional Macquarie University Hockey Club pub crawl through the rocks is always a popular event that continues to get new and old members along and is a great way for everyone to get to know each other off the
field.

We also hold club days where as a club we come out in force to support one of our teams for the day. Usually this is against local teams such as Ryde or Gordon/North Sydney. These days are lots of fun and a great way to show our club spirit which is strong.

5. What are some of the future goals for the club? Our goal is to continue to grow our membership base and to become a real force in Sydney Hockey. We want to do this whilst also having fun and ensuring that we have a smile on our face.

6. How would someone wanting to join the hockey club get involved? If you want to get involved email is the best option. We can be contacted on hockey@mq.edu.au.

The first weekend of summer saw the inaugural Macquarie University Fast Fives Water Polo Tournament make quite a splash at the Sport & Aquatic Centre. A festival atmosphere was assured with music, cash prizes, a BBQ and over 18 men and women teams from around the country. In
all over 100 participants took part in one of the largest Water Polo Tournaments to be held in Australia this year.

Fast Fives is a fast paced, action packed version of the traditional game. There are plenty of goals and continuous play after each point. The tournament was played in a round robin format and featured many current Macquarie University players including current scholarship holders and a host of recent
green and gold winners from the 2012 AUG's in Adelaide. The event also saw a number of Macquarie University Alumni return to the pool with even several past and current Olympians on show!

Whilst Beijing Swimming Olympic Medallist Grant Brits' team "The Merry Men" were unlucky in missing the finals he was still able to give spectators something to cheer about when he put on quite a display of speed taking out one of the top cash prizes in the Fast Fives 'Dash for Cash'. Also featuring
in the intermission before the tournament finals was current Macquarie scholarship holder Clayton Whitaker who won the penalty shoot out competition for the Men's Division.

"Like-a-tiger" spearheaded by Olympic Gold Medallist Yvette Higgins were successful in taking out the Ladies title defeating the runner up team which featured Macquarie University veteran Serena Reid as well as our recent Female Athlete of the Year-Devon Boyle. It was a similar story in the men's with
a number of Macquarie University players spread across several of the semi-finalist teams but it was the might and power of the only international team in this year's event "The Euro's" who proved too strong for the remainder of the competition.

The Macquarie University Squash Club is one of the foundation clubs at the University, formed in 1967. In its 45th Year the club is booming, with a membership base at close to its highest ever level, and some outstanding results achieved in the 2012 Autumn and Spring Pennant Competitions. The
club has also recently adopted a new uniform which has added a fresh new feel to this proud club steeped in tradition at the University.

The Squash Club Coordinator, Nick Juradowitch has been a member of the Club for over 20 years and was recently awarded the John Lincoln Services Award to recognise his outstanding long term volunteer service to the Squash Club. Sport Club Coordinator, Nigel Price recently caught up with Nick and got
an insight into the Club and some exciting developments for the future ahead.

1. What Competitions do the Squash Club participate in?The club participates in the NSW Squash Sydney North Division Pennant Competition. This comprises of some very strong clubs from the Northern Suburbs and Northern Beaches. There is an Autumn Pennant Competition which
is held from March to July each year and the Spring Pennant Competition which we are currently competing in runs from August to November.

2. How many teams does the Club currently have?The Club currently has 14 teams and over 70 members competing which is a record for the Club. Our teams accommodate for a range of skill levels, from Division 2 down to Division 17, and we have both Men's and Women's teams.
The club covers a wide range of age groups from 18 to 60 year olds competing, and a large Macquarie University Student and Alumni contingent.

3. How has the 2012 Spring Pennant Season been going so far?The Club has really built on the success of the Autumn Pennant Season where we had 6 teams compete in Grand Finals with 3 winning Premierships. With only a few rounds to go until the finals series, 11 of our 14
teams are ranked in the top 3 on their respective ladders and should qualify for the finals. We are absolutely elated with how the season is going and are hopeful of a few more Premierships coming our way in the coming weeks.

4. I believe the Club hosts Social Squash for Macquarie University Students?Yes the Club hosts a Social Squash session for Macquarie University students on Mondays during Semester time from 12pm-2pm on Courts 3 and 4 at the Sport and Aquatic Centre. It has been a great
way for students to be introduced to the game and the club, with many becoming club members. Any interested students can contact our Student Squash Coordinator, Stephen Ryan on stephenryan08@hotmail.com or simply turn up for a game.

5. What is in store in the future for the Squash Club?The Club will be looking to build on an outstanding 2012 next year. We look forward to welcoming some new members to the club and hopefully celebrating more success in the Pennant Competitions. The club is also excited
at the prospect of hosting a NSW Tertiary Students Tournament at the Sport & Aquatic Centre later in the year, which will be the first of its kind in NSW Squash.

6. How would someone wanting to play Squash join the Club?Anyone interested in joining the Squash Club can contact either myself via squash@mq.edu.au or
Stephen Ryan on stephenryan08@hotmail.com. We welcome all new members.

The Macquarie University Water Polo Club was established in 1973 and has grown from strength to strength in that time. Sport Club Coordinator, Nigel Price recently caught up with the Water Polo Club President, Tim McAlpin and got an insight into the club as it approaches its 40th year:

1. Is Water Polo played all year round or just in Summer?No Water Polo is played all year round and our club competes in both Winter and Summer competitions. The Winter Season commences in May and concludes in August and we have just commenced the new Summer Season.
Finals for the Summer Competition are in March next year.

2. How many teams does the Club currently have?The Club has two Men's and two Women's sides. Our top Men's side participates in the NSW Water Polo Men's Division 4 Competition and the second side compete in the Men's Division 6 Competition on Tuesday night. The two
women's teams compete in the Ladies Division 4 and Ladies Division 5 Competitions on Sunday afternoon.

3. How the 2012/13 Summer Season is shaping up so far?The Summer Season is shaping up very well so far. We have very strong Men's Division 4 and Ladies Division 4 teams both who are undefeated and hopefully will be pressing for a Premiership. We also have a lot of
new recruits playing in our lower Men's Division 6 and Ladies Division 5 teams who are improving with every game and will be great assets to our club into the future.

4. Who are your key men's and women's players this season?Aaron Jones in our Men's Division 4 team is a former National League goal keeper and is in fantastic form so far this season. We also have former and current Australian University Games Representatives such
as Jonty Hardy and Anthony Macfarlane. In addition some of our Ladies Division 4 girls in particular Lauren McMahon and Michelle Keygan have a lot of experience and are a great influence and example for the new girls at the club.

5. The Fast Five's tournament being hosted by Macquarie University is coming up in December. Can you explain what this tournament is about?The Fast Fives is a two day tournament held here at the Sport and Aquatic Centre on the 1st and 2nd December. Teams are coming
from around the country and we are really looking forward to it. Fast Fives is a modified version of Water Polo with two quarter pools playing simultaneously with 5 players. The weekend will provide some fantastic exposure for the University and will be a great fundraising opportunity for the club. It
will be a weekend with plenty of high quality players on show, some from the national squad and there is even prize money up for grabs for the winners. All are welcome to come down and enjoy a fantastic weekend of Fast Fives Water Polo.

6. How would someone wanting to play Water Polo join the club?To join the Water Polo Club email Club President Tim McAlpin at timmcalpin@hotmail.com or simply turn up to our training session on Wednesday nights at the Sport and Aquatic Centre. All new players are
most welcome. Water Polo is a great sport, and you will make friends you will have for life.

For all the recent action from the MacWarriors around the grounds please click here for the latest Sports Club Wrap Newsletter.

For more information about all of the Macquarie University Sport Clubs and how to join a club, please click here to jump online or contact Nigel Price, Sport Club Coordinator on (02) 9580 4198 or sportclusb@mq.edu.au.